How To Replicate Looks From New York Fashion Week Without Breaking The Bank

New York Fashion Week has evolved into the SuperBowl of the fashion industry, unveiling presentations and collections that embody what’s innovative, fresh, and trending on the market; it’s the perfect time to draw inspiration from artistry and creative powerhouses, like Tommy Hilfiger, in curating your own personal style.

Replicating looks from New York Fashion Week can be challenging when you’re on a Dunkin Donuts coffee budget; luckily for you, I got you covered. Here’s how to replicate looks without breaking the bank.

1. Monitor Coverage

Let’s start with the first, and probably the most important step, of executing looks from New York Fashion Week: monitoring coverage. Every season, New York Fashion Week garners a ton of media attention, from influencer Instagram stories and article content from top-tier media, to a bevy of posts from the actual brands and designers. The coverage, across the board, is diverse and endless, allowing you to discover new styles, while learning the ins and outs of production.

To monitor coverage most successfully, you need to be fully in the know via social media. This time around, I was particularly glued to my Instagram since it’s a visual platform, thereby housing content that’s easy on the eyes to digest (Facebook and Twitter are pretty lacking, so I wouldn’t rely on these outlets). Not to mention, through Instagram, I got a broad taste of everything, from stories and posts, to IG TV episodes, meaning I was never bored in my fashion pursuit. I didn’t want to overwhelm myself though, so I only stuck to a select few influencers, aka the macro-influencers with large followings, and followed along their journeys; these influencers are generally invited to coveted shows and hand-pick items from showrooms, and as a result, cover everything heavily.

If you’re unsure of who to follow, I’d start with Danielle Bernstein of WeWoreWhat, who keeps you hooked from start to finish on everything that goes into her New York Fashion Week experience. Best part is, she will show you her day-to-day looks, so you can then buy cheaper versions seamlessly.

This season, my favorite look of hers was the following below: edgy, yet gorgeous. Luckily for you, you can copy this look:

Get the look:

2. Then, Save and Screenshot your favorite looks and collections

During your New York Fashion Week pursuit, you should gather, save, and screenshot all the inspo you can from blog posts, articles, Instagram stories, and more. My process is relatively simple. I start by monitoring influencer content, then screenshotting their stories and posts that highlight certain designers and their new collections on display. From there, I go to the designer’s Instagram page directly and immerse myself in that collection, learning the backstory, creative process, and then saving and screenshotting the work on my phone. It sounds super easy and mindless, because it is.

Now, I’ll explain how this process works in real time. Thanks to Instagram, I stumbled upon and fell in love with the alice + olivia collection, which has since been hailed for playful bold colorful combinations, elaborate patterns, and the brand’s overall essence that promotes female empowerment. I, of course, found myself screen-shotting away, not just collection content, but also media coverage that details the brand’s origins and vision for its presentations. To get a better sense of what I did, I saved a feature on WWD, where the brand’s designer, Stacey Bendet, explains this all further stating:

“We’re so much about female empowerment and positivity. That’s what our brand’s been about for 20 years. I like when everyone comes into my home, my office, my stores to feel really welcomed, and really warm, and really embraced, and to leave feeling even better about themselves. Our shows are a manifestation of that. And they’re creative and fun to Instagram.”

Feeling inspired? Fortunately, you can replicate the brand’s spring looks, like the one below. Copy this look:

Get the look:

3. From There, Organize What Stands Out To You By Item

For optimal organization, I house all content in separate albums on my phone, so I know where everything is located when I’m about to make a purchase. Take it from someone who knows: when you’re screenshotting and saving away, it’s easy to get lost in the act, so separate and specific albums ensure that you are staying on track. Each album is broken down by item: shirts, pants and skirts, shoes, hair accessories, jewelry, sunglasses, over-wear (like jackets and coats), and dresses. It can get tedious, but it’s 100000000% necessary.

For example, I am obsessed with the current head-band trend, and saved all my head-band inspo in my hair accessories album. This fashion week, I fell in love with chunky ones, like the following below, because they’re versatile for both fancy and everyday wear. Copy this head-band look below:

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Get the look:

4. Do Some Investigative Journalism

So, you successfully monitored coverage, screenshotted and saved inspo, and separated the findings into very specific albums. Now what, you ask? Well, here’s the fun part: it’s time to research stores with cheaper alternatives of your favorite New York Fashion Week looks. Luckily for you, this shouldn’t be too difficult since there’s already a ton of content detailing where you can find bargain deals on elaborate ensembles. I personally like Forever21, Amazon, Pretty Little Thing, Asos, Boohoo, and Zara, as these stores provide aspirational styles at affordable prices; or if you’re looking for sustainable options, you can give some local to local designers and creators through Etsy and other platforms.

To give you a scoop on how I do my investigative journalism, I refer to my screenshots and search by item via store website. Case and point: I knew I had to have Danielle Bernstein’s chunky combat boots for the fall; however, given my budget, I obviously cannot afford hers. This led me to find the following example below, which as you can tell, is reasonably priced. Copy this look:

Get the look:

5. Assess Your Findings And Weigh Your Options

You can have thousands of looks in your arsenal; but at the end of the day, you can only afford so much, and your credit card can only do so much swiping. That’s why you must assess your findings, weigh your options, and determine for yourself which options are absolute priority. I wish I could buy everything from Danielle Bernstein’s New York Fashion Week closet, but for now, am sticking the below blazer, which is super cute and fun for the Fall. Copy this look:

Get the look:

How do you find and buy your favorite New York Fashion Week looks at cheaper prices? Comment below.

Featured Image Source: https://www.cnn.com/style/article/new-york-fashion-week-highlights-ss20/index.html